PUBLIC MARKS from sbrothier with tag "masataka taketsuru"

07 December 2008

In the early 1920s, Masataka Taketsuru came to Scotland from Japan to learn how to distil whisky. While in Scotland he married Rita Cowan, of Kirkintilloch, who left Scotland with him to live in Japan for forty years, never to return home. She died in 1961. This is an illustrated story of one man's determination to succeed, both in business and love. It is also the story of a young girl's move to a land far away, of strange customs and even stranger language, her joys and heartaches. It is also the incredible story of how whisky is made to perfection thousands of miles away from its cultural 'home', and the history of its development within Japan up to the present day.

Not many people would associate Japan with world class whiskey but that's exactly what you'll find in the small town of Yoichi. The Nikka Whiskey Distillery offers tours, tastings and a brilliant insight into the history of whiskey making in Japan.

LIKE English wine, it has suffered from the taint of inauthenticity and has been the butt of condescending jokes. But now Japanese whisky has scotched its critics by being voted the best in the world, ahead of its Scottish rivals.
Yoichi 20-year-old, distilled on the shores of the Sea of Japan, has become the first variety produced outside Scotland to win the coveted single malt award in an international competition run by Whisky Magazine, the industry bible.

It is not really in the interests of Japan's big two distillers to tell you too much about it but Japanese whisky had a prehistory.
If you listen to the official versions from Nikka or Suntory, Japanese whisky started with a bang in 1919 or 1924. They have slightly different versions of the creation myth, emphasising the role of either Masataka Taketsuru or Shinjiro Torii in bringing the gospel of authentic whisky from Scotland, but basically they agree: quite suddenly, out of the blue, Japan started making proper Scotch style whisky.

In 1918, Masataka Taketsuru embarked alone on a long voyage to Scotland. In this distant land the secrets of whisky-making would be imparted to this young Japanese man, and here he would meet the woman who would become his bride.
Masataka Taketsuru was born in the coastal town of Takehara (now Takehara City) about 60km from Hiroshima City. The Taketsuru family owned a "sake"(Japanese brew made form fermented rice) brewery that goes back to 1733-- and continues to produce fine sake today, in 2004. Taught early that sake making is a painstaking fine art, Masataka studied diligently and trained at university as a chemist, preparing to carry on the family trade.